Website Redesign SEO Checklist: Before You Rebuild

If you’re rebuilding your website, check which pages are bringing in traffic and inquiries before you start deleting things. A page can look outdated and still be doing its job.

That is where I would start a redesign. Find out what people are using, what helps them understand the business, and what needs to carry over. Then make the site better around that.

1. Find the pages that already matter.

Start with your current URLs. Include service pages, product pages, project examples and older articles. Navigation alone will not give you the full list. Check your sitemap and crawl the site if you can.

In Google Search Console, look at the pages receiving search clicks and the queries behind them. Use a period long enough to account for your business’s busy and quiet months. Google’s Performance report lets you review both pages and queries.

Then check your analytics, form records and call tracking. Which pages lead to useful conversations? Ask whoever handles inquiries, too. If you cannot connect an inquiry to a page, record that as unknown. Zero tracked conversions does not automatically mean a page is useless.

My Search Console quick-win guide covers how to find pages worth improving. Do that review before deciding everything needs to be replaced.

2. Decide what each page needs.

Give each URL a decision: keep, update, combine or remove. Write down why.

A service page might need better project photos and a clearer estimate request while keeping its useful explanations. Two thin pages might work better together. An old offer that the business no longer provides might genuinely need to go.

Read the content before making that call. Check whether it answers something customers actually ask. Keep the useful detail, even if the design changes completely.

This is also a good time to notice gaps. If commercial work matters to the business but the entire website talks to homeowners, that deserves attention in the new page plan.

3. Make a URL map before the build is finished.

A redesign does not require every address to change. Keep existing URLs when they still make sense. For pages that move, record the old URL, the destination and what should happen when someone opens the old link.

For example, a remodeling website could use this map:

Keep the address.

/kitchen-remodeling: keep this URL and improve the existing page. It should load normally after launch.

Combine into a relevant page.

/kitchen-renovations: combine its useful information into /kitchen-remodeling, then permanently redirect the old URL there.

Remove without a replacement.

/old-seasonal-offer: if this offer is gone and nothing replaces it, return 404 or 410 and remove internal links to it.

The destination should answer the same need. Someone following a kitchen remodeling link should reach kitchen remodeling information. Sending every removed page to the homepage makes them search again. Google also warns that irrelevant redirects can be treated as soft 404s.

For a permanent move, use a server-side 301 or 308 redirect where supported. Point it directly to the final destination. Google explains the distinction in its redirect documentation.

If there is no suitable replacement, a real 404 or 410 response is appropriate. Do not create an unrelated destination just to avoid that status.

4. Check what launches, not just how it looks.

Open the new pages on your phone and desktop. Read them, follow the links and submit the forms. A screenshot cannot tell you whether an estimate request reaches the right person.

Ask your developer to check these before launch:

• Important pages load: they return a successful response and contain the intended text, images and headings.
• Pages meant for search are accessible: no leftover password protection, unintended robots.txt block or noindex instruction on the public version.
• Canonical tags use the right addresses: these identify the preferred URL. They should not point to staging or an unrelated page. Check them against Google’s canonical guidance.
• Redirects are tested: check the old-to-new URL rules in your test setup before launch. Confirm the destination is relevant and there are no loops or unnecessary extra stops.
• Internal links work: menus, buttons and links inside the copy lead directly to the intended pages. Important links should be crawlable HTML links.
• Forms and tracking work: test submissions arrive, confirmation messages appear and the intended analytics events record correctly.
• The launch is recoverable: keep a backup and agree who handles a problem if something breaks.

Keep the test site protected while it is being built. Check the public site’s settings separately when it goes live.

5. Test the old links again after launch.

Use your URL map. Open the old addresses and confirm where they land. Check the important pages first, then the full list. Recheck forms, phone links and tracking on the live domain.

Make sure the sitemap reflects the pages you want indexed. Record the launch date and save your earlier search and inquiry figures so there is something useful to compare against.

Over the following weeks, review search clicks, indexing and inquiries. Check individual pages as well as totals. Some movement after a significant change is expected, but a missing service page or broken form needs fixing now.

Keep redirects in place after the launch checks. Google recommends retaining them for at least a year, and longer can help people following old links.

Get this into the redesign scope.

Before approving the build, ask who owns the page inventory, redirects, launch checks and follow-up. Put those responsibilities in writing.

I include this planning in website design and development and can help with SEO review and implementation for an existing project. If you’re planning a rebuild, tell me what you’re changing. We can look at what is already working and make sure it is carried over.